


Skeletons in the Closet

by marigold_scented_candles



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Child Abandonment, Dark, M/M, Oops, adrien's mom - Freeform, idk what her offical tag is so I'm putting all of them?, maman agreste, mrs.Agreste - Freeform, this isn't really a romance fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 03:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6103492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marigold_scented_candles/pseuds/marigold_scented_candles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nino stumbles upon something he should've just left alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Skeletons in the Closet

**Author's Note:**

> oops I wrote something depressing. It was going to be a romance fic, but then it just turned into a fic about Adrien through Nino's point of view? But what the hell is a pairing tag without angst am I right????

  
 It had started out innocently enough. Back in the day phones had more than a few buttons. In fact, there was a whole damn dial pad, and every number made a different tone.  Basically old flip phones could be as good as a piano to a decent DJ, which Nino happened to be.  
  
The world worked in strange, strange ways. The world had ways of delivering news in the most roundabout way. As it turns out, something as innocuous as a request to look around a storage room for a flip phone could reveal things that had never should’ve seen the light of day. All Nino had wanted was to use some of the dial tones from an older phone to make some music. Nothing nuts. In fact, he’d seen whole songs get covered on Youtube, just by pressing the dial pads on old flip phones. Of course Nino wasn’t going to copy and do the same. He was better at music than that, but he could create new harmonies in existing songs using those new tones.  
  
So, Nino had asked his pack rat of a boyfriend if he happened to have any old tech laying around, and that’s how he ended up looking through a box labeled “ 2000-2007”. Sure enough, he found a flip phone. small and silver, decorated with pale purple decals. Nino switched the little device on, smiling brightly when the screen began to glow. A picture of a photograph of a little baby being held by it’s father. …. Wait! That was Adrien… And Gabriel Agreste. It was odd seeing him smile. Almost alien really, but his expression seemed so genuine. He seemed so thrilled to have that tiny crying bundle in his arms. Seemed proud of the fact that Adrien existed.  
  
Oh… And there were voice mails too?  
  
It was rude to listen. This was clearly Adrien’s mom’s phone… But hell, he was curious. Adrien never ever talked about her. They were just voice mails. Surely, Adrien wouldn’t mind. Right?  
  
_“ Maman, I know I’m not supposed to use the phone unless it’s an emergency… But I wanted to say goodnight… Have sweet dreams!”…. a pause, and a little shuffle of noise “ oops… I gotta go I can hear dad coming. See you soon Maman”_ that was Adrien’s voice. More high pitched than Nino was used to but definitely Adrien. Adrien when he was ten at the most, and clearly still a momma’s boy. Still the type to call to say goodnight. Actually, that wasn't right. He _still_ was that type really he’d text to say good luck when he had late night gigs and Adrien didn’t see him beforehand, and was asleep by the time Nino came home.  
  
**Next Message**  
  
_“ Maman…. Dad said you were on vacation… but you said you’d bring me on your next vacation. Just the two of us so Dad could work… Maybe next time?”_   Nino had assumed Adrien’s parents divorced. Hell. Who wouldn’t divorce Gabriel Agreste? But she hadn’t divorced Gabriel. She’d just… Ran. Abandoned them. Suddenly Gabriel Agreste’s objections to Adrien going to public school, and the chauffeuring, and general strict control of his son’s environment made a scary amount of sense.  
  
**Next Message**  
  
_“ Marie this had gone on long enough… I know we haven’t had the happiest marriage as of late, but we can talk about this. We can figure something out”_  
  
**Next Message**  
  
_“Maman…. why won’t you answer the phone…? Father’s worried about you…”_ When’d Adrien stop calling Gabriel Dad? When had their relationship become so distant and cold?  
  
**Next Message**  
  
_“ Marie, I’m aware I haven’t been the best husband but… Please answer…. For Adrien’s sake. He misses you, and it’s adversely effecting his health. He barely touches his food.”_ Adrien…not eating? That wasn’t possible, right? He was an absolute glutton if given the chance. That probably went double for when he was ten, when he was still growing and probably still being run to the bone with fencing.  
  
**Next Message**  
  
_“ I don’t even care if you come home anymore! Just answer your stupid phone! Why can’t you just answer!?”_ A pause… a long pause, and shuffling, and sobs _“ I’m sorry Maman… I didn’t mean to yell- “_   The message cuts off. either a button was accidentally pressed, or Adrien ran out of time with which to express his heartbreak.  
  
**Next Message**  
  
_“ Why didn’t you take me with you?”_ more sobbing. The sound is enough to shatter what was left of Nino’s heart into dust.In no small part because he’s secretly happy that Adrien’s mother didn’t take him with her. Otherwise, he and Adrien would’ve never met.  
  
**Next Message**  
  
_“ Pick up your phone. Your son deserves at least a goodbye Marie. How dare you take out your issues with our relationship on him!”_ Hah. Like he was in any position to talk. Well. Maybe at that point he had been. Maybe he’d still been trying to hold it together, for his son’s sake.  
  
**No New Messages.**

 

  
  
_God…._  
  
 She hadn’t heard any of it. She hadn’t heard Adrien crying for her to come back, or her husband begging for her to at least properly say goodbye instead of leaving questions that still ate at Adrien like acid.  
  
“ Nino? Did you find something you could use?” Adrien’s voice from just outside the door startles him enough that the phone falls into his lap and a single thought runs through his head.  
  
_‘ He’s better off not knowing’_  
  
“ Nah… thanks for letting me look though dude”  Thank god Nino is more competent at lying than he was at talking to girls in lycée. He carefully puts the phone back in it’s box, to be buried among his boyfriend’s childhood mementos, hopefully never to be seen again.  
  
“ No problem Nino” God. Hearing Adrien sound so happy was just more incentive for Nino to bury that god awful thing somewhere Adrien would never ever find it, so he'd never know that his mother hadn't heard his pleas to come home. So Adrien wouldn't have to listen to his father's voice become progressively colder as he lost hope in fixing his marriage, or the damage it'd done to his son.  
  
Sometimes love was knowing when to take a secret to the grave.


End file.
